In the Cloth Percolators
The Orange Band has had the luxury of many Cloth experiences during Exploration. While there are still a few adventures and outings left in the weeks after Winter Break, we took some time in the week before our hiatus to read about the cloth related topics that the kiddos found interesting and intriguing. Their research revealed stories about gender bias in the shoe industry, a brief history of pant in ancient Rome, and fiber advances inspired by spider silk. Then, kiddos practiced their summary writing skills, necessary tools in their upcoming Expression Projects. Enjoy the Orange Band’s recent research!
The Clarks Shoe Company
By Soleil
The problem began when The Clark’s Shoe Company in the United Kingdom, started selling “The Dolly Babe” and the “Leader” shoes. The “Dolly Babe” (the version for girls) was made with black leather as well as the “Leader,” but the “Dolly Babe” had detail of a pink insole printed with hearts while the “Leader” (the version for boys) had a design of a football, which stays on sale. Also, the “Dolly Babe” was so uncomfortable and not sturdy. Jemma Moonie-Dalton is a parent who didn’t want her daughter to have the “Dolly Babe” shoes. The article states that, “she does not want her daughter to avoid puddles. Her daughter should play games. She does not want her daughter to worry about getting her shoes dirty.” The boys shoes were built for running and climbing and playing. That shows a stereotype for boys and girls. Then, there were so many complaints from the parents of the students about how the shoes were so unfair, that the Clark’s Company took their shoes off the shelves. The point the author was trying to make is that there are still stereotypes around boys and girls right this second and that we should stay aware of that.
How pants in Ancient Rome went from banned to required
By Sadie
The problem began when the Romans banned pants. They wore tunics instead because it was extremely warm in that spot. They decided to because winter was coming and they would freeze to death because the tunics were too short. Then, people wore pants all the time in Rome.At the beginning people think that pants were always worn. Before that, the Romans banned pants because they were for “savages.” The Gauls group triggered that. Then, soon after Rome's started wearing trousers because it was cold at the battlefield and soon became really popular. Next, the ban said that “who ever wore trousers would be exiled." The reason why is that people couldn't tell if you were a civilians and soldiers apart because it was confusing. The ban soon was lifted and people started to wear trousers again and soon were worn all around Rome and were starting to evolve into pants.
Spider Silk Summary
By Romero
Scientists from all around the world are trying to replicate spider silk because the substance is very strong and flexible. Two important ideas of the article are that: Spider silk, when large, is very strong and replicating it will make great advances in technology and safety. Spider silk is a very strong material, and it’s amazing because it’s 98% water! If we can replicate this, we can use them in many different ways such as to produce low-heat types of various fabrics, that don't need any chemical solvents.The main idea of this passage is that spider silk is very interesting. One fact or example that supports this main idea is if we could replicate it at a scale, we could change the future of safety. Another fact or example that supports this main point is that it is stronger than steel! In addition, it is 98% water! Finally, the fact that it’s made by only by spiders, a small life form, illustrates that spider silk is amazing!
The Shoe Problem
By Lillian Girarde
The problem began when Clark shoes called the girls shoes “Dolly Babe.” The boys shoes are called ”Leader.” This made parents very mad because this said that boys were leaders and girls were Dolly babe’s, and that is sexist because this says that boys are a higher power than girls. a bunch of people on Twitter complained that “Dolly Babe shoes are sexist”. After that, The Clark shoe company tried to say it was a mistake. The Clark shoes couldn't take the complaints anymore. The problem was finally resolved when Clark discontinued “Dolly Babe” shoes.
Ram's Cloth Summary
The main idea of this article is to create man-made spider silk that is good for the environment. One way it’s good is you don't have to pay too much money because it’s cheap. And, it is made of water, rocks and plants. And also if you throw it away, it decomposes. A really weird example of weirdness is that scientists at Utah State University are breading “spider goats” that will produce silk proteins in their milk. The main idea of this article is that spider silk can be used for lots of things. One example that supports this main idea is that the US Military is thinking about using this man-made silk for their bullet proof vests. Another example is, this man-made spider silk is safe to use on the human body like in stitches. Finally, the materials needed to make spider silk make it like nylon. The end.
Bad Shoe Names for Girls
By Tamasen
The problem began when the girls shoes were named DOLLY BABES. And the boys were called the Leader. And some of the parents said the girls shoe had a bad name because to call shoes for all the girl in the school Dolly Babes was sexist and rude. The company is treating the girls differently than boys people say. The United Kingdom is in Europe and leaders there talked about the shoes. Nicola Sturgeon is the leader of Scotland. She said the name was hard to believe. Clarks said it will not sell the Dolly Babe shoes any more. It will keep selling the leader shoes for the boy’s though. So in my perspective I think that the boys Shoe should not be called leaders! And boys and girls shoes should have the same name, because girls can be leaders and boys can’t always be leaders.
New artificial spider silk: stronger than steel and 98% water.
Based off a newsela article by Emily Matchar.
By Ronan
Spider silk has some pretty incredible properties. It's stronger than steel, and tougher than kevlar. Yet it's as stretchy as an rubber band. For these reasons, spider silk has captured the interest of many scientists for decades.Researchers have discovered a new material that mimics spider silk. It is extremely strong, stretchy, and has an incredible energy-absorbing capacity. But perhaps it's most incredible property: it's 98% water.Darshil Shah is one of the researchers working on this new material. He is a researcher at Cambridge's Center for Natural Material Innovation. “Spiders are interesting models because they are able to produce the fiber at room temperature without a solvent.” says ShahThe fiber is made from a material called a hydrogel. It is 98% water and 2% silica and cellulose. The water evaporates, and the silica and cellulose fibers can be pulled from the hydrogel. Although not as strong as all real spiderwebs, the fibers are extremely strong. They can be made without chemical solvents, giving them an advantage. They also do not need high temperatures for spinning, making them easier to produce then things like nylon.The fibers could also be modified in a lot of interesting ways, says Shah. By replacing cellulose with certain polymers, you could more easily make different synthetic fabrics.Although there are a few problems, artificial spiderwebs could become a real thing in the near future. A real important thing.
That cloth and clothing could hold such import is not lost on the Orange Band. In fact, recently, the Orange Banders took some time to participate in the BWX Museum of Everyday - inspired by the museum of the same name found in Ísafjörður, Iceland. Along with the Magenta Band, Orange Band kiddos selected items of clothing and told the story of that item. Their stories of family, passions, and themselves are wonderful. Enjoy![embed]http://https://youtu.be/ZNegNJvWuDg[/embed][embed]http://https://youtu.be/2vsMKs5BVjQ[/embed][embed]http://https://youtu.be/jqXNQL2e77Y[/embed][embed]http://https://youtu.be/oUjVZdK-4ho[/embed]https://youtu.be/z0Sbqlq5KLw[embed]http://https://youtu.be/KMTHZvDM3tg[/embed][embed]http://https://youtu.be/LEhAkCjCYRo[/embed]Stay tuned for Expression and Cloth Project updates! WEAVE been busy! ;)